The keepers of Peace
by Niksix
Summary: <html><head></head>Galeo is a peacekeeper. Through his eyes we will witness the most important events in the trilogy, as he battles his own consciousness and personal demons. So without further ado, let's go. Rated T for naughty language. lol</html>
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks for bothering to read this. This is a tribute to all those soldiers in real life who sacrifice themselves for our protection, and who get so trained into attack mode, they can't see the enemy for the civilians. Enjoy.**

"You're nothing soldier! You haven't got what it takes! Maybe this course wasn't cut out for you! Is that all you got? IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?"

The sergeant's voice cut through the waves of fatigue and snapped me back to life, with a surge of anger. "Nope." I muttered through gritted teeth. The small, cold droplets of rain pierced my face with a fierce intensity. The mud seemed to suck our tired, dirty boots downward, making running extremely difficult. I could see the men in front of me starting to slow, showing signs of extreme exhaustion. I put my head down, and started to quicken my pace. My lungs burned in protest, but I pressed on, soon overtaking the other tired hopefuls and joining the front of the pack leaving the wheezing sergeant with the stragglers. "I've got plenty more where that came from." I muttered, although I was starting to doubt that I did. To distract me from the pain, I started to think about the path that got me here.

….

I had joined the peacekeeping forces for one reason and one reason only; to prove to myself that I could achieve great things. Ever since I was a child, I had wanted to be a peacekeeper. I had watched the recruitment advertisements, and fallen in love with the discipline, the structure, and the respect peacekeepers demanded. As soon as I was 18, I completed the recruitment course with flying colors and signed up with the first regiment that would take me; the newly formulated 501st squadron. We were assigned to patrol District 11. As we exited the dropship the first thing that hit me was the stench of fresh manure, an excellent fertilizer.

"Cor Blimey! Can you smell that Galeo? Smells like a pile of shit!"

"That's because it is Lepidus." I said with a chuckle. Lepidus had been my best friend and roommate during the recruitment course. He had a strange accent, which none of us could pick, with equally strange mannerisms and turn of phrase. He always pronounced 'th' as 'ph'. He was smaller than most whilst still being more built than the others. He was never seen without his tattered black beanie, but we could always see black curls protruding from underneath. He had kept us entertained during the 18 month course with jokes, pranks and impersonations of the CO's (commanding officers). I deeply admired his enthusiastic approach to our line of work. The recruitment course had been designed to create a sense of camaraderie, and it succeeded perfectly. I looked around where I had landed. To our left was what looked like an enormous forest filled with berry trees, nut trees, and fruit trees. In front of us was the old, run down justice building, its sagging walls and broken down balcony a perfect welcome to such a dreary, dirty country town. To our right were fields of all sorts of crop being worked by people of various shapes, sizes and ethnicities, but they all had a common factor. They all seemed well fed. Sensing my thoughts, the CO muttered "They probably steal crops." I looked at him and saw he had the same look of disgust that I had. "We'll set 'em right."

As we were given a tour of the district by the 283rd squadron, which were to be replaced by us, I could see the plain cracks in the security here. Peacekeepers asleep on the job, obvious blind spots in the district, and blatant disobedience to rules and regulations. I stared at the people with the obvious features of contempt on my face. All my years of training had taught me to distrust locals, as they would kill you for their own end if they had a chance. As we passed yet another field with people bent over working, I noticed that whilst they were working they were all in earnest conversations with the people around them. Yet another crack in security. If they could talk to each other, they had perfect opportunities to organize a coup. My anger at these flaws continued to grow. By the time we reached Peacekeeper HQ I was boiling with rage. 'What had this squadron been doing all this time?' A tour of the facilities proved equally dissatisfying. Filth and lack of discipline seemed to be the dominating force in the building. As a soldier staggered out of his room, clearly drunk, he gave a half hearted nod in the direction of our CO and continued walking. I could see the CO turn three shades of red in anger.

"OI! Private!" he barked. The soldier spun around a look of shock on his face. "Where is your salute?"

A look of relief and comprehension crossed his face as he nodded. He then proceeded to give the sloppiest salute I had ever seen. The private seemed quite pleased with himself, before collapsing in a drunken heap. Our CO stomped off to the 283rd squadron's CO. After a heated argument, and a telephone call to the capitol, the 283rd were sent packing early to District 12. We watched them go, most of them so drunk they needed help packing their things. One soldier in particular's antics were so hilarious we videoed him with our telecommunicators. Lepidus found one guy struggling with his bag, and so, being the gentleman he is, helped the man pack his bag… with another soldiers things. We were all crying with laughter as the other soldier tried to find his things not knowing his roommate had taken them. It was late at night by the time they were all vacated. We moved into our rooms, and were immediately called in to do a security assessment. We were briefed in the Justice building's control room which contained all the security controls for the fence, gate, and cameras. Flashing monitors, controls, dials and switches littered the walls and room. It was an amazing testament to the Capitol's power. On one wall was a whiteboard, with the CO, Taurus, standing beside it. Taurus, was an older man of few words with a short back and sides like the rest of the squadron. He had a scar running from his cheek down his neck to his shoulder. He told us he had got it in a drunken bar fight back when he was a private. Thankfully to his connections in the capitol he had avoided trouble. "Settle down." barked the man in question. Quiet immediately descended upon the room. The mood was excited and expectant, mainly because for most men in this squadron it was their first deployment. "Right. As you know the 283rd has left the building, and that means that at this moment there is absolutely no security in this district."

"Same as always." yelled Lepidus. A chuckle came from the group, and even Taurus cracked a smile. "That means that since we are starting at ground zero, security wise, how about we build it all afresh. Wipe the slate clean of the old system and really crack down on the holes. Any suggestions?"

There was quiet muttering from the group as I raised my hand. "Yes you, the young man in the front"

"Well sir, I think that the first thing we should do is actually turn on the security measures that are in this very room." Taurus gave a chuckle. "Good thinking." He scribbled it onto the board.

"Secondly, we need to make sure that the people abide by the rules and regulations. This can be done by increasing punishments and strictness for breaches of the law. In order to make sure that people get the message about our strictness, we'll need a few… examples." I was rewarded an acknowledging nod of approval and more scribbling on the board.

"And thirdly, we cannot allow the workers to communicate unsupervised in the fields. They could be planning revolutions here, under the cover of work. We need an increased number of peacekeepers on the beat during work, especially during harvest so that they won't be stealing from the capitol." More scribble, a moments silence. Taurus was staring at me with a look of approval and, possibly even a hint of admiration. "Good, good. I like it. What's your name private?"

"Galeo. The name's Galeo sir."

"Well Galeo, how about you and I have a little chat in my office? The rest of you are free to go."

Confusion swept across the unit. Lepidus simply strolled out shooting me a questioning look. Everyone else took a second to react, but were soon fighting to get out of the door once they saw Taurus' unimpressed face. Soon we were alone. I followed Taurus into his office. It was made almost entirely of mahogany, with a whole wall full of books and a cluttered desk with personal nick knacks and paperwork. Taurus was quick at unpacking. I stood to attention as he sat at his chair.

"Right…uh…Galeo was it?" I nodded. He looked through his drawers and pulled out a file. My file! Wow, he was a quick unpacker. The CO continued to read my file whilst I stood there uncomfortably. "So you are related to him." He said as he closed the file. My fists clenched. "Who is that sir?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Your father. He was THE commander Galeo. The commander who defeated the rebellion."

"Is this relevant to my career in any way, sir?" I said through clenched teeth.

"No, no. Just curious. Now I know that a great military mind can be inherited. I was thinking that since you have such an impressive lineage, and military tact, that maybe you could lead the security clean up."

My mouth opened in shock. I hadn't even fired my first shot at the enemy and I was already promoted! I regained my composure, and with a gruff nod said "I'll do it."

"Good. But remember this is a big job. Failure in any area will be entirely your responsibility."

"Don't worry sir." I said as I started towards the door. "It'll be fun."

After a few whippings, executions and extra peacekeepers on duty during harvest time the district came right into line in no time. Within three weeks the citizens were suppressed and under control. The quiet was so very peaceful. 'No wonder they call us peacekeepers.' I thought as I observed the rice fields. "Going well Kiddo." I jumped and spun around. It was Taurus. He pulled me aside with the words "Let's go for a little walk." After a short stroll across the rice covered fields, observing the workers, he began speaking.

"I like you boy. You got the mind of a soldier. You have the right instinct, ability and brains. I was looking through your recruitment course physical exam. A 93? That's better than I got in the test. I also saw you majored in 'battles of the rebellion'. Nice. That's what I did."

I nodded when appropriate. It was impertinent to talk while the CO was talking so I decided not to tell him that 'battles of the rebellion' was the only major available to a recruit.

"Anyways, what I wanted to talk to you about was your career in the forces. I got a message from the top brass in the capitol. They are offering a select, advanced course for people wanting to further their career. They asked me to give the invite to my top troops. I've already asked your pal Lepidus and he's in. You Interested?"

I was equal parts curious and wary. I'd never heard of advanced courses being offered to peacekeepers. "Uh…What will it entail?"

"Training that will put you at the top of your game. It can lead to opportunities in the CF."

The CF! The capitols' top troops for covert operations, the Covert Forces were shrouded in mystery and adventure. Most soldiers daren't even dream of being offered training, let alone be accepted. It was an opportunity I couldn't afford to miss.

"You can count me in, sir."

"Good. Go pack your stuff; the hovership will arrive in 0200."

"Thank you sir." And with a quick salute I ran to my room. There I found Lepidus packing his stuff.

"Feels surreal, hey buddy? I was just chuffed to bits to be a part of it."

"Yup. Looks like you and I are going to be toughing it out together." I said whilst grabbing my musty, old bag from under my bed. In my excitement, I started shoving everything in at once, not thinking about how it would all fit, inevitably leading to me having to repack the bag later on. The last thing I put in the bag was a picture of my father in full CF gear with his mates. "See dad? I'm one step closer. Who's the failure now?" I whispered as I put the picture in.

**Like it so far? If so please review, im really anxious to hear how my first fanfic went. Any suggestions for storyline would be good too. **

**(BTW if you can spot the star wars reference you win brownie points, which…do…absolutely…nothing.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. I wrote these first two chapters at the same time. (One afternoon) so any problems with the first chapter will continue in to the second. BTW Fun fact: I actually read an autobiography on a guy that was in the SAS. All these training techniques are techniques they use in selection for the SAS. Anyhoo enjoy.**

A brief jog, truck ride and two hovership rides later, and I was back in the peacekeeping training buildings of district 2. We were sitting in the main auditorium with a little over 100 other applicants, waiting for…something. To be honest we weren't sure what we were waiting for. The guy at the counter had just glanced at a list, admitted us into a room and told us to wait. The tension in the room was palpable. Nervous chatter, along with tense jokes helped relieve the tension. A little bit. I had just started a conversation with the guy to my right when all of a sudden, we heard gunfire. Most guys ducked down, but there were a few doeys who simply sat and looked around. Out of nowhere a sergeant appeared and started pointing at the guys who had remained sitting. "Right, you, you, you and…Oi...you, get out." The confused soldiers were escorted out by peacekeepers. The sergeant walked up to the carpeted stage and faced the audience staring at them calmly. "We will accept only the best in our course. Only the best." He stared at the soldiers being escorted out. "I won't have soldiers who need to be told to get down when they hear gunfire." There were chuckles from the crowd as the sergeant continued. "People who are slow, people who are physically incompetent, people who can't think on their feet under extreme duress, and people who need someone to hold their hand and tell them it'll be alright, will not be accepted." More laughter from the crowd. "In order to find out if you are any of those things we are going to have to break you." Silence from the crowd. The sergeant paused for effect. "We are going to have to break you, crush you, and stretch you to your utmost extreme. And then when you think you can't go anymore, you're going to have to go further." The sergeant eyeballed the crowd before taking a deep breath. "If at any time during this course you feel that, maybe this isn't for you, that maybe you made a mistake, you can leave and I won't think any less of you. At other times you will be told to leave, either because I don't like your attitude or because you haven't met my standards for the course. Now, some of you may be thinking 'Gee that's a little harsh, Mr. Sergeant. Why can't you just go easy on us?' Well, as im sure you're aware this course is a lead-in to your CF training which means instead of going through a CF application, you can simply pass this course and be half done with your training. And since the CF application is rigorous we have to mirror it. So, if anyone wants to leave now, be my guest." I wasn't going anywhere, and just as I was thinking 'who would throw such a good opportunity away' there was the sound of chairs being moved, people excusing themselves and the shuffle of feet. I turned around and saw about 15 men walk out. I couldn't believe it. "Right then, lets get you guys in your quarters. Welcome to camp destruction" said the sergeant with a mocking bow.

…..

The first week comprised of marches, mountain climbing, fire under duress exercises and constant night wake ups. A night wake up is when a sergeant will choose a random barrack, unannounced and make the men in that barrack go on a night march for an hour. These were designed to make us disoriented, fatigued and strained. Anyone who faltered, collapsed, complained or refused to cooperate was immediately dismissed. The second week was even more strenuous based on last week's exercises. The same routine again, but this time the exercises were longer. They pushed you even harder. There would be officers all around whispering in random soldiers ears "Maybe you should just go home. It'd be so much easier to just sit here." And anybody who listened was immediately dismissed. During the exercise an officer would approach you and ask you questions like "250 divided by 7 multiplied by 9" and you'd have to answer correctly or you would be dismissed. By the time week two was over, there were only 19 of us left. We were told that the final exam was the day after the second week and were informed that it would consist of a run that was dubbed by the sergeant "the death run." for its length and the fact that we would be carrying a 25 kilogram pack on our back The exam day was bitingly cold, pouring buckets, and worst of all, we were going to do the run anyway. The run consisted of waking up at 0600, running as a group through rugged terrain until 1100, at which point we would all individually run back to base accompanied by an officer who would try to get you to sit down or quit. It was on this first group run that I found myself, struggling to keep pace with the leaders, as mud was sloshed all over my khaki pants. As we neared the point where we would start breaking off individually, I felt like I was dying. My breathing was labored and arduous, and my clothes weighed a tonne from the rain not to mention the 25 kilograms on my back. "Company halt!" yelled a wheezing voice from behind. We all eased into a stop and collapsed onto our back taking off our packs and grabbing a few bites to eat. The sergeant came jogging over and pulled out a list from his pocket. It seemed to be wet from the rain, but fortunately for him he could still read it. "Right Galeo, you're up first." Just my luck. Not only was I in serious danger of fainting from exhaustion but I was now meant to run back to camp _first_. Ah well, on the bright side, I didn't have to carry my pack. The day dragged on, with the officer appointed to me keeping rather quiet along the run. Maybe he was more toned down because I was the first to run back. I could hear the other officers screaming obscenities at their escorts from here. The run back required us to pull out maps and compasses to find our way to certain checkpoints along the way, the coordinates for the next checkpoint being given to us by the previous checkpoint. The rain and cold made it hard to concentrate on the tiny figures on the map, with the rain wetting the map, and the cold hurting your fingers. At the last checkpoint before reaching base I was asked by my accompanying officer "What is 124 divided by 4 multiplied by 15?" 'Just great. Mental gymnastics at a time like this.' My mind went into overdrive, taking shortcuts and using my ten timetables as much as possible. "465" I gasped whilst continuing to run. The officer nodded in approval. I continued running through the pain. The cold and wet clothes chafed my torso red raw. The pain was horrible it hurt my chest. Suddenly I was by my Fathers bedside, watching him breath his last breaths. His young wife, and my mother, was crying next to him. I stood and watched a little distance away. I felt only loathing for this man. He had risen me like a soldier with a routine that was both oppressive and depressing. Every time I tried to show him my accomplishments he would cut me down with criticism. I hated him. He was staring into my eyes. "Come…closer…" He gasped, pointing at me. I obeyed, like I always did. "What is it?" I whispered. "Why didn't you volunteer at the reapings like I told you to? Why do you think we gave you all this training?" The reapings had been yesterday. "It is such an honour to be a part of this tradition that I saw so many men die for. Why?" I didn't answer him. My anger had almost overcome me. With one look of disgust and a groan he whispered "You have only been a failure to me. Not my son." And with a cough, Galeo Sr. breathed his last. "No I'm not." I had said through angry tears. "No I'm not!" I yelled suddenly back in the present. With a wild scream I sprinted past my accompanying officer and reached the base. I collapsed once inside the front doors. When I came to I was in my bed and it was evening. How long had I been out? I heard a movement to my right. "You finally up?" It was Lepidus. It seems he was fully rested. How? I had seen him exhausted on th death run. "Yeah, how long has it been? Around five hours?" I replied groggily. "More like, 25 hours."

I jumped out of bed. "What? I've been out for a whole day? Im done then. Im never going to be in the CF now."

Lepidus swung out of bed and looked at me.

"Galeo, you topped the class. You broke the record for the fastest run on the death run. You passed. We're going to be in the CF together man."

I sighed satisfyingly and lay back in my bed. "Who's the failure now?"

**A little shorter I know, but thanks for reading this far. Please review. Thanks. :)**


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